Q: Can individuals or families publish a cookbook?
Yes, most families publish their cookbook as a keepsake and not for fundraising.The only processing difference is in the payment terms. Individuals and families are required to pay one-half the cost at the time the order is placed, with the balance due before the books are shipped.
Q: How much money can we make?
A small order of 200 books can earn around $850, whereas a larger order can earn up to $50,000 or more. See our price charts for costs and suggested selling prices.
Q: Can we publish fewer than 100 cookbooks?
No, we do not accept smaller orders. It costs as much to print 10 books as it does to print 100 books.
Q: How many recipes are in the average cookbook?
The average cookbook contains 300-400 recipes.
Q: What is the Starter Kit?
The Starter Kit contains Recipe Collection Sheets, Category Envelopes, a Cover Information Sheet, and Personal Page Sheets. This material is not included in the initial Cookbook Kit. To receive this material, contact us or download and print these items.
Q: We want to type our own recipes. How can I get a copy of typensave®?
If you have our Cookbook Kit, typensave® is on the interactive CD, or you can download it. You can also create an account and submit recipes online at www.typensave.com.
Q: We have entered our recipes in typensave®. Now what do we do?
If you used typensave® software, save your recipes to a CD and mail it along with the order form and other necessary material. If you used typensave® online, submit recipes online and mail the rest of the material. Include your typensave® account number on the order form.
Q: Do recipes with variations or more than one part count as one recipe?
Yes, as long as they are variations or part of the same recipe, such as icing. They will not have titles or appear in the index. Exceptions are starters (e.g., sourdough starters) or other recipes that are the base for several recipes; each use of the starter is counted as one recipe. We average 2–4 recipes per page. A recipe may be counted as more than one recipe, based on its length.
Q: If a recipe is too long for one Recipe Collection Sheet, what do we do?
You can continue the recipe on another Recipe Collection Sheet or blank sheet of paper of the same size (front only). Staple them together. Do not use the back of a Recipe Collection Sheet or fold a large recipe that's taped to a Recipe Collection Sheet.
Q: Must we use your Recipe Collection Sheets?
No, you can use plain paper of the same size or your own recipe forms. Include only one recipe per sheet (front only) and follow the guidelines provided on pages 14-15 of our Cookbook Publishing Guide. Recipe Collection Sheets are provided FREE for your convenience in our Starter Kit or you can download and print them.
Q: Can we put Recipe Collection Sheets in any envelopes?
Yes, you can use any envelopes. After grouping your recipes into categories and sorting them in the order you want them to appear within each category, number the Recipe Collection Sheets and place each category in a separate envelope. Label each envelope with your organization name, category title (e.g., Soups & Salads), number of recipes in the category, and position of the category in the cookbook (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.).
Q: Must recipes be typed?
No, as long as the recipes are clearly printed in ink, not in pencil, and recipes are legible.
Q: Do you edit our recipes?
Only if errors are obvious and we are typesetting your recipes. Otherwise, we typeset them exactly as they are written, run a spell-check, and convert all measurements in the ingredients list to our standard abbreviations. We do not edit any metric measurements. Please note: If you submit your recipes using typensave® software or typensave® online, we do not edit your recipes. Regardless of who typesets your cookbook, you will always receive a FREE proof to check all recipes before we print your cookbook.
Q: Can we use brand names in our recipes?
You may use brand names (Jell-O®, Hershey's®, Nestle®, etc.) in your ingredients list. Do not submit any recipe titles that are trademarked.
Q: Can we use recipes from magazines, newspapers, or other cookbooks?
Yes, you may submit recipes from various sources. The exceptions are trademarked names which cannot be used, such as Killer Brownies®, Runza®, Derby Pie®, and Neiman Marcus® Cookies. You may be infringing on a copyright if you use complete works, such as all the recipes from one cookbook.
Q: Can we use artwork from other sources for our cookbook?
Artwork from greeting cards, books, and other sources is usually copyrighted, and you must obtain permission to use it. Please download our Art Release Form (PDF 32K) and submit with your order if you are furnishing custom artwork or photos. Likewise, all of our artwork is copyrighted and is available only to our customers.
Q: Can we use divider category titles other than the standard category titles?
Yes, if you are creating custom dividers. You will not be able to use a full-color stock divider set because they are preprinted and cannot be changed.
Q: How much will custom dividers cost?
Regular custom dividers are 3¢ per divider per book. Tabbed custom dividers are 8¢ per divider per book. If the fronts are printed in the same ink as the recipe pages, there is no additional charge. If the fronts are printed in one in-house ink, there is an additional ink charge of 2¢ per divider per book. If the fronts are printed in multi- or full-color, there is an additional ink charge of 15¢ per divider per book. If you are using photos on your dividers, one photo per divider is FREE. Additional photos incur a charge of 3¢ per photo per book. See price chart.
Q: Can we change titles and subtitles on full-color stock covers?
Yes, unless otherwise stated, you can have your title and subtitle printed in black ink FREE, but you cannot change the full-color stock covers in any other way.
Q: We want more than 5 photos and 16 personal pages. We also want to include photos with recipes. Why can’t we include more photos or pages?
When a group wants more photos and personal pages than we allow, the cookbook becomes more of a history or picture book. Also, our recipe formats were not designed to accommodate photos. If you want more photos/pages or have other ideas, we suggest publishing your cookbook through Morris Publishing. There is no photo limit, and photos can be placed on any pages. You must furnish all pages press-ready, but that allows greater flexibility with creating your cookbook pages.
Q: If we publish the cookbook, why does Morris Press Cookbooks place its copyright on the title page?
Many of our customers use our stock cover and divider sets, recipe formats, and cooking hints. Our copyright protects this material. Recipes cannot be copyrighted. If you are sending your custom cookbook press-ready and using your own artwork, you have the option of copyrighting your own book. Call our office for details.
Q: What is a press-ready cookbook?
Press-ready recipe pages are pages already typeset using correct margins and page sizes. Final printed pages will look like your press-ready pages. We prefer a digital file converted into a PDF, but will also accept a hard copy as long as our margins and specifications are used. This is very important because unless your pages are prepared and sent properly, we won't be able to use them. The same is true for a cover. Download our Press-Ready Cookbook Pages Guidelines (PDF 1.3M) for complete specifications.
Q: Can we save money by sending our cookbook press-ready?
Probably not. Because of the efficiency of our recipe formats, we can fit more recipes in fewer pages than most press-ready cookbooks. Since more pages results in higher cost, it could actually cost you more to send your cookbook press-ready if you end up with more pages than we would. However, you will have more design control and save some production time since your cookbook will not require typesetting. Call our office for details, or go to our Download Center for press-ready material, such as guidelines, pricing, and an order form.
Q: How does a 10 percent overrun or underrun affect our order?
Your cookbook goes through many stages during which spoilage may occur. To compensate, we print more than you order. The books not lost in spoilage will be sent to you. If too many books are lost in spoilage, we may ship less than your order. You will be invoiced for the books you receive, minus your 3% FREE books.
Q: After you receive our order, how long does it take until the books are shipped?
Production time depends on how you submit your recipes. Normal production time (we typeset recipes) is 50-60 business days from the day after we receive your order. If using typensave® or submitting press-ready material, production time is 35-40 business days from the day after we receive your order. Rush service is 27 business days from the day after we receive your order. Allow 3-5 business days for shipping. We are not in production on holidays or weekends.
Q: How long do you save our cookbook, in case we ever want to reprint?
Your cookbook material is digitally saved for 10 years.
Q: How much are reprints?
Reprint pricing is based on the quantity you reorder. If you order the same quantity as the initial order, the price per book will be slightly less. If you order a smaller quantity than the original order, the price per book will be more. Coupons and discounts do not apply to reprints. You can download our Reprint Order Form and contact us for reprint pricing.
Q: How do I purchase a copy of a book you printed?
We do not retail any books we print for customers. You need to contact the organization directly. If you have a copy of the cookbook, check in the back of the book for an order form or in the front for contact information. You can also check www.cookbooksforsale.com to see if the cookbook is listed.